Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The nacelle includes a rotor assembly coupled to the gearbox and to the generator. The rotor assembly and the gearbox are mounted on a bedplate member support frame located within the nacelle. More specifically, in many wind turbines, the gearbox is mounted to the bedplate member via one or more torque supports or arms. The one or more rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
More specifically, the majority of commercially available wind turbines utilize multi-stage geared drivetrains to connect the turbine blades to electrical generators. The wind turns the rotor blades, which spin a low speed shaft, i.e. the main shaft. The main shaft is coupled to an input shaft of the gearbox, which has a higher speed output shaft connected to the generator. Thus, the geared drivetrain aims to increase the velocity of the mechanical motion. Further, the gearbox and the generator are typically supported by one or more bearings and mounted to the bedplate member via one or more torque arms or supports.
Over time, the main shaft and associated bearings may become worn and/or damaged due to normal operating loads and forces from the wind acting on the wind turbine components. Unfortunately, repair of main shaft and the main bearings often requires the turbine head to be removed from atop the nacelle and transported to a factory, which can be very time-consuming and expensive. In addition, where the main shaft must be replaced, the associated bearings must be reinstalled onto the new shaft.
Thus, the art is continuously seeking new and improved systems and methods for improving repair and/or replacement of the main shaft and the main bearing, particularly uptower. Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to a clamping apparatus for securing a main bearing of a wind turbine during an installation and/or repair procedure and methods of using same.